2 weeks Ago By PASCAL NJOKU
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a member of the APC Legacy Projects Media Team. In this interview, the former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), faults the action of the Rivers State sole administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, condemns the role played by President Bola Tinubu, who he alleges is a beneficiary of the crisis in the South-South state, among others. PASCAL NJOKU brings the excerpts: What’s your take on the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State, suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his Deputy and the State Assembly by President Bola Tinubu? Without mincing words, I condemn in the strongest terms, President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, because his reasons for the unpopular decision are untenable to any sound mind.
Nigerians and the international community are aware that the protracted political altercation between Governor Fubara, on one part and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and his bandwagon of confused House of Assembly members, on the other part, is a deliberate ploy by the Tinubu administration to capture Rivers State either by hook or crook. Go and listen to President Tinubu’s broadcast on March 18; Nigerians will notice that the President heaped all the blame concerning the crisis on Governor Fubara, and didn’t see anything bad in the acts of the 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike. President Tinubu, in his reasoning failed to condemn the defected lawmakers for frustrating the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment, particularly for turning down invitations from the Governor for a discussion to chart a way forward and refusing to accept and deliberate on the 2025 appropriation bill, when the Governor tried to represent same to them during plenary.
There is nowhere in the entirety of Section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, which President Tinubu cited as the source of his power to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, that the removal or suspension of a democratically elected Governor is envisaged. One therefore wonders where the President derived his powers to suspend a democratically elected Governor. By this national disgrace, President Tinubu has really shown he is not who Nigerians think he is.
Considering his experience, leadership and managerial acumen, one would have thought that Mr. President would be patriotic, humane and unbiased, in the handling of the political crisis in Rivers State. In fact, by announcing an emergency rule in Rivers State, the President has shown that he is the mastermind of the crisis in the oil-rich state and a major beneficiary of the crisis.
The action of the President in foisting an emergency rule in Rivers due to the altercation between Governor Fubara and Wike, who incited the needless crisis through his loyalists in the Rivers State House of Assembly, is premeditated, highly condemnable, unconstitutional, reprehensive and undemocratic, to say the least. The unwarranted and unjust suspension of democratic institutions in Rivers State by Mr. President lucidly runs ultra vires his constitutional powers and unriddles his bias leaning in the lingering animosity between the major gladiators.
It’s an affront on Nigeria’s democracy and stands highly condemned. Despite widespread condemnation of the suspension of democratic institutions in Rivers State, Mr. President seems unfazed, with the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd) settling down to work? Are you not worried? I’m worried; most Nigerians are worried too.
It’s a pathetic situation, especially seeing somebody who prides himself as one of those that fought the military junta to install democracy in Nigeria, being at the forefront of dismantling democratic institutions just for personal aggrandizement. Since the constitutional blunder had been committed, I urge President Tinubu to rescind that obnoxious decision, as the said Section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he referenced during his infamous proclamation did not overtly or covertly empower the President to suspend an elected Governor or any other elected official of the state government in the course of declaring a state of emergency. Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, explicitly outlines the procedure for the removal of a Governor or Deputy Governor from office and any effort at removing a Governor or Deputy Governor from office through any means or procedure other than as prescribed under the section referenced above amounts to a political maneuvering and mutiny on the supreme law from whence the President himself derives his powers and to which everyone, including the President owe allegiance.
The appointment of a Sole Administrator for Rivers State smacks of authoritarianism and paints this administration as one on a mission to strangulate the country’s democratic institutions. I’m aware that some PDP Governors have challenged the emergency rule at the Supreme Court, but that will not deter me from instituting a legal action against President Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Administrator of Rivers State if the suspension of the Governor is not rescinded and constitutional democracy restored soon. What’s the implication of this emergency rule on Rivers’ people? By the suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy and the Rivers State Assembly, President Tinubu, not only contravened the Constitution, but also intentionally trampled on the democratic rights of Rivers electorate to choose who leads them, which right they exercised in 2023, through the instrumentality of the ballot, resulting in the emergence of Sir Siminalayi Fubara as Governor.
To the people of Rivers State and lovers of democracy, I urge calm as every right and legal step will be taken to correct this constitutional aberration and rape of democracy in Rivers State. Your reaction on the release of withheld funds accruing to Rivers State from the federation account to the Sole Administrator? This is another source of worry. The authorization of release of the withheld monthly allocation of Rivers State to the Sole Administrator offends the judgement of the Supreme Court that funds should only be released when there is in place an appropriation law.
By his instruction, President Tinubu has turned his own words into the ultimate law, and has made a mockery of the verdict of the Supreme Court, thereby reducing the country’s Judiciary to its lowest ebb. What’s your take on the way the National Assembly handled the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State? Honestly, I’m disappointed over the docility of the National Assembly to correct this constitutional blunder by this administration. It’s unfortunate that Senators and their counterparts in the House of Representatives have turned the National Assembly into a theatre of comic show that produces no serious result.
But I have to commend some Senators like Abaribe, Dickson, Tambuwal and others who stood against this dangerous precedent of a broad day robbery on democracy and stampede against the constitution and constitutional rights of Rivers people. It’s on record that the Godswill Akpabio led Senate supported the suspension of democratically elected institutions in Rivers State under the guise of emergency rule. However, I must not fail to commend former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Nasir El-Rufai, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Femi Falana, South-South Governors, the entire PDP Governors, PANDEF etcetera, for standing with Rivers’ people and speaking out against this draconian regime and its shades of illegalities.
The Sole Administrator has since sacked all caretaker LG Chairmen and appointed sole administrators to man the 23 Council areas in Rivers State. How do you react to that? You see, you can’t build something on nothing. It’s a fundamental principle in law.
The appointment of Local Government Administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State, by the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas (rtd), is a chronic aberration and bare-face slap on Nigeria’s Constitution. Rear Admiral Ibas’ command and obey leadership style has earned him the accolade as an impudent perpetrator of another layer of illegality, as his appointment ab initio, was a product of full-blown illegality and undemocratic act of the highest order. If not that Ibas is acting an already drafted devious script, he couldn’t have mustered the courage to display this high level of intransigence in the heat of the nationwide condemnation that trailed his ill-gotten appointment by President Bola Tinubu.
More worrisome is the fact that Ibas and his cronies have flouted valid orders of courts of competent jurisdictions and continued to make mockery of Nigeria’s Judiciary. Before the announcement of the appointments of LG sole administrators by Ibas, an order of court was obtained asking him to appear and show cause why he should not be restrained from making such unlawful appointments. The order was issued on Monday, April 7, 2025 by Justice Turaki Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt in Suit No: FHC/PHC/CS/46/2025, between Pilex Centre & Anor v the Administrator, Rivers State.
Upon being served the court process on Wednesday, April 8, 2025, the Administrator announced the appointment and added that it takes effect from Monday, in a clear attempt to foist on the court a fait accompli and render nugatory any consequential order that may arise from the Applicants’ motion before the court. These insensitive appointments have raised serious constitutional questions, which only President Tinubu, Wike, Akpabio; and their stooge, Vice Admiral Ibas, will answer. Section 7 of the Nigerian Constitution clearly provides that ‘Local government administration by democratically elected local government council is guaranteed’.
Even, the appointment of Chairman and members of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and the announcement that the Local Government election would be conducted in August, is uncalled for, premeditated, bizarre and ill-conceived. The work of Ibas is a temporary mandate of ensuring law and order and not extended to dissolution of boards of agencies and parastatals of government, appointment of new boards and conduct of elections. I make bold to state that the activities of the sole administrator portend grave danger to the Nigerian Constitution and the authority of the courts.
Unfortunately, his appointer sees himself as the alter ego, the alpha and omega, far above the laws of the land. And with that understanding, Ibok-Ete Ibas acts with brazen disregard for constituted authorities, laws, and feelings of the people. All these acts of notoriety and illegality are evil tests to the patience of the good people of Rivers State; to gauge their reactions; whether as a conquered people or a people bold enough to fight in defense of their constitutional right and mandate, with bravery.
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